The terrifying rock giant swept across the land as the ground trembled beneath it, kicking up towering waves of shattered stone and endless clouds of dust.
Brown shockwaves kept surging into the sky, turning the originally clear black night into a hazy grayish-brown.
Facing the charging rock giant, the knights gripped the weapons at their waists.
Fear shone in their eyes, but their unwavering resolve kept them standing their ground.
Behind them were the residents of the middle district.
So even though their bodies shook with fear, they absolutely could not retreat.
Even the demon hunters sprang out from the crowd, nimbly leaping onto the glowing streetlamps nearby.
Each of them drew their own weapons, leaned forward, and waited to strike.
As the terrifying giant drew closer and closer, sweat poured down the knights' faces.
They turned and shouted to the people behind them, "Everyone, fall back!"
"Protect the civilians first!"
With that, they raised their weapons and charged bravely toward the enormous, terrifying rock giant before them.
In an instant, the giant that had been carving its way through the earth burst completely out of the ground, its entire body rising with tremendous force.
Its towering form shattered the last bit of calm in everyone's hearts as it swung its massive stone arms down at the earth.
In an instant, violent shockwaves spread in every direction, and the ground split apart with a deafening crash.
Countless chunks of earth and rock shot into the sky as the tremendous impact tore through the ground, surging toward the plaza like raging waves.
The giant threw punch after punch, each impact bringing another wave of destruction.
In the blink of an eye, shattered rocks filled the air, dyeing the sky a deep earthy brown.
The knights charging at the front were thrown into the air by the violent tremors and scattered in every direction.
The knights in the rear felt the vibrations coming from ahead and found it difficult even to remain standing.
As wave after wave of knights was driven back, the giant grew even more violent.
The massive boulders in its hands crashed down like meteors, smashing deep craters into the ground again and again.
But just then, the giant's arm suddenly stopped in midair.
Its six brown eyes flickered faintly.
Looking down, it saw that a huge, flourishing tree had wrapped itself around both of its stone fists.
Even the shockwaves racing across the ground were held back by a wall of vines that had burst from the earth.
Lush vines continued winding upward, gradually blooming with clusters of soft pink flower buds.
The vines bent and twisted beneath the force of the shockwaves, yet they still stubbornly held back the assault ahead.
Under the relentless pounding of the shockwaves, the vines curled and twisted, yet still stood firm against the impact.
The extending vines wrapped tightly around every piece of flying rubble.
The knights were all stunned by the incredible sight before them.
Feeling a gentle breeze brush past them, they couldn't help but turn around.
Only then did they see an elf who looked like a young girl sitting atop a cloud, one arm raised as she cast magic.
A soft green glow floated around her, while twisting vines spread across the ground beneath the cloud.
Colorful flowers burst through the earth and grew around the central plaza, bringing a touch of life to the battlefield.
The gloomy royal capital was covered in lush greenery, standing in sharp contrast to the yellow-brown sky, like nature's own palette balancing the colors.
Looking at Cocotte casting magic, joy appeared on the knights' faces as they cried out, "It's... it's the councilor!"
"Great! The Elf Queen has made her move!"
Sitting atop the cloud, Cocotte merely waved her hand gently.
Suddenly, thick thorny vines that churned up the soil rose around the edge of the plaza.
Like a hollow cage, they rolled toward the rock giant.
The vines quickly wrapped around the giant's legs, gripping them like ropes rising from the depths of the earth.
At that moment, with all four limbs restrained, the giant's movements became noticeably slower.
The massive tree trunk and vines pulled together, trying to topple the huge earth-colored monster before them.
With both forces working together, the giant, as tall as a mountain, crashed heavily to the ground.
The earth surged with another massive wave, only this time it was even more powerful than before.
In an instant, the ground shook violently, as though the entire world were trembling.
The powerful quake left all the knights unable to keep their footing, and they fell one after another.
Fortunately, Cocotte quickly spread vines across the ground, forming soft cushions that steadied the fallen knights.
Once the shaking gradually subsided and the dust settled, Cocotte carefully examined the fallen rock giant.
She found it extremely troublesome.
Because the damage she could inflict on it was simply too limited.
Although she was a fifth-tier mage, because of the rock giant's enormous size and the nature of wood magic, she had no way to launch truly powerful or effective direct attacks against it.
The greatest damage it had suffered was probably being tripped and falling over just now.
And more importantly, she couldn't directly enter the center of the battlefield. She could only provide support and harassment from the plaza.
Otherwise, she couldn't guarantee Liya's absolute safety.
Thinking that, Cocotte lowered her head and looked at the sleeping Liya on the cloud.
Besides...
Her gaze shifted slightly toward the terrified elves.
Then she looked back at the rock giant lying motionless on the ground.
From the earth giant's passive responses, Cocotte realized something.
The giant held no hostility toward the elves. It didn't even counterattack or dodge when she attacked it.
"They always say elves are protected by nature. Now I finally understand what that means."
Cocotte murmured softly, sounding a little helpless.
Only... this protection seemed a little too heavy.
At that moment, Cocotte looked up and watched as the knights and demon hunters raised their weapons once more and charged together.
The moment they found an opening, the demon hunters swiftly climbed onto the giant's body.
The knights swung their blades at the giant's joints, hacking and striking everywhere they could.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But after a storm of attacks rained down, the giant remained completely unharmed.
Even several knights' swords had been chipped.
No good.
It wasn't working at all.
Watching everything unfold, Cocotte rested her chin on one hand as she sat on the cloud, deep in thought.
What should they do?
Just then, as if sensing something, she turned her eyes toward the Crown Prince.
Elves could sense changes in other people's emotions.
At that moment, the Crown Prince was breathing rapidly, his body trembling, his pupils dilated. It was as though fear had frozen him in place.
Cocotte caught every bit of it.
Seeing his reaction, she stared in astonishment.
'That little golden man... was he afraid?'